Group 10 - Security in a Dangerous World - Advances in Science and Technology
MODERN WEAPONS
Russia and the United States built up an arsenal of nuclear weapons. After the Cold war ended those weapons were still around. At the same time chemical and biological weapons threatened global security. The weapons of mass destruction include nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Nuclear weapons include the atom bomb, first used by the U.S.A. in world war 2. Biological weapons refer to disease-carrying organisms, such as small pox, or toxins that can be released into the air or water supplies. Chemical weapons refer to chemical toxins, such as nerve gas and mustard, which was first used in world war 2.
TERRORISM
The use of violence, especially against civilians, by groups of extremists sometimes sponsored by government that protect and fund them to achieve political goals is called terrorism. The goals of a terrorist range from releasing political prisoners or trying to get more territory. Terrorist use "headline grabbing" tactics to get attention to their demands. From 1970s till 1990s, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) used terrorist tactics to force Britain to give up Northern Ireland. islamic fundamentalist refers to the religious belief that society should be governed by islamic law. one powerful islamic fundamentalist group is called al qaeda which means "the base" in arabic. the former leader of al qaeda is osama bin laden, the son of a rich saudi arabian family. early al qaeda attacks on american interests occured in asia and africa. terrorist blew up two american emabassies in east africa in 1998 and damaged an american naval vessel in a port on the arabian peninsula in 2000. but the the major blow came when they attacked the united states itself. on the morning of september 11 2001 teams of terrorist hijacked four airplanes on the east coast. one plane crashed into the pentagon two into the twin towers and one in a field in pennselvanyia. more than 2,500 people were killed in the attacks.
War on Terrorism The Al Qaeda's attack on the United States triggered a startling global shake-up. Fighting terrorism became a central focus of national policies and international relations. In the U.S., president Bush declared war on terror in general and mainly against the Al Qaeda in particular. Osama bin Laden and other al qaeda leaders were living Afghanistan in 2001. The government of that country, an islamic fundamentalist group called the Taliban, refused to surrender to terrorist. The U.S. responded by attacking Afghanistan and overthroughing the taliban and drove the al qaeda into hiding or flight.Bin laden remained at large though. After septembr 11th the U.S. made increasing security a top priority. The government created a new Department of Homeland Security and instituted more rigorous security measures at airports and public buildings. The United States also stepped up pressure on other countries not to develop WMD's that might fall into terrorist hands.
SPACE EXPLORATION
by the second half of the twentieth century there were few places on earth that people had not begun to explore. space was seen as the "final frontier" - an unknown world filled with oppurtunitiy. in the early twentieth century, pioneers in rocketry like the american physicist robert goddard probe the potential of liquid fueled rockets. from the beginning, goddard believed the rocket could carry people to the moon. at first people met his ideas with disbelief. during the cold war, the united states and the soviet union competed with each other to build both rocket propelled weapons and rocketry for the purpose of space exploration. in 1957, the space age began when the soviet union launched into orbit sputnik, the first aritfical sattelite. in 1969, the united states apollo program landed the first man on the moon. both super powers also explored the military uses of space and sent spy sattelites to orbit earth since the end of the cold war, the united states and russia have cooperated in joint space ventures. in decades since sputnik and apollo, rockets have been launched to other planets and beyond. increasingly nations have been working together to explore space. for example, russia, us, canada, japan, and several countries in europe are developing the international space station (iss).
THE COMPUTER REVOLUTION
the invention of the computer in the twentieth century caused an unprecedented information revolution. very few aspects of modern life remain untouched by computers. the development of computer technology has given rise to the term "information age". a computer is a device for making mathematical calculations and for storing, processing, rapidly manipulating data. the first electronic computers, built in the 1940s, were huge, slow machines. later, thanks to inventions like the silicone chip, the computer was reduced in size. pc became widely available in the 1970s for individual users, both at home and at work. In the 1970s, various branches of the u.s. government along with groups in several American universities led efforts to link computer systems together via cables and satellites. by the 1990s, the "internet" or "world wide web" was
well established, again revolutionizing information technology. by 2000, the internet had grown to a gigantic network, linking individuals, governments, and businesses around the world.
ADVANCES IN MEDICINE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
science and technology have revolutionized are understanding and are control of both human life and other forms of life on this planet. developments in medicine and biotechnology, the application of biological research to industry, engineering and technology, have resulted in new ways to combat and prevent and prevent disease. breakthroughs in surgery also transformed the field of medicine. in the 1970s, surgeons learned to transplant organs, including the human heart to save lives. lasers made many types of surgery safer and more precise. in the past couple of decades, the field of biotechnology has exploded. biotechnology companies make products including vaccinations, medicines, and industrial bacteria that can be used to treat waste or clean up toxic spills. biotechnology is closely related to the fields of genetic and genetic engineering, which have also made dramatic advances in recent years. genetics is the study of genes and heredity, while genetic engineering is the manipulation of genetic material to produce specific results.
Group 10 - Security in a Dangerous World - Advances in Science and Technology
MODERN WEAPONS
Russia and the United States built up an arsenal of nuclear weapons. After the Cold war ended those
TERRORISM
The use of violence, especially against civilians, by groups of extremists sometimes sponsored by government that protect and fund them to achieve political goals is called terrorism. The goals of a terrorist range from releasing political prisoners or trying to get more territory. Terrorist use "headline grabbing" tactics to get attention to their demands. From 1970s till 1990s, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) used terrorist tactics to force Britain to give up Northern Ireland. islamic fundamentalist refers to the religious belief that society should be governed by islamic law. one powerful islamic fundamentalist group is called al qaeda which means "the base" in arabic. the former leader of al qaeda is osama bin laden, the son of a rich saudi arabian family. early al qaeda attacks on american interests occured in asia and africa. terrorist blew up two american emabassies in east africa in 1998 and damaged an american naval vessel in a port on the arabian peninsula in 2000. but the the major blow came when they attacked the united states itself. on the morning of september 11 2001 teams of terrorist hijacked four airplanes on the east coast. one plane crashed into the pentagon two into the twin towers and one in a field in pennselvanyia. more than 2,500 people were killed in the attacks.
War on Terrorism
The Al Qaeda's attack on the United States triggered a startling global shake-up. Fighting terrorism became a central focus of national policies and international relations. In the U.S., president Bush declared war on terror in general and mainly against the Al Qaeda in particular. Osama bin Laden and other al qaeda leaders were living Afghanistan in 2001. The government of that country, an islamic fundamentalist group called the Taliban, refused to surrender to terrorist. The U.S. responded by attacking Afghanistan and overthroughing the taliban and drove the al qaeda into hiding or flight.Bin laden remained at large though. After septembr 11th the U.S. made increasing security a top priority. The government created a new Department of Homeland Security and instituted more rigorous security measures at airports and public buildings. The United States also stepped up pressure on other countries not to develop WMD's that might fall into terrorist hands.
SPACE EXPLORATION
by the second half of the twentieth century there were few places on earth that people had not begun to explore. space was seen as the "final frontier" - an unknown world filled with oppurtunitiy. in the early twentieth century, pioneers in rocketry like the american physicist robert goddard probe the potential of liquid fueled rockets. from the beginning, goddard believed the rocket could carry people to the moon. at first people met his ideas with disbelief. during the cold war, the united states and the soviet union competed with each other to build both rocket propelled weapons and rocketry for the purpose of space exploration. in 1957, the space age began when the soviet union launched into orbit sputnik, the first aritfical sattelite. in 1969, the united states apollo program landed the first man on the moon. both super powers also explored the military uses of space and sent spy sattelites to orbit earth since the end of the cold war, the united states and russia have cooperated in joint space ventures. in decades since sputnik and apollo, rockets have been launched to other planets and beyond. increasingly nations have been working together to explore space. for example, russia, us, canada, japan, and several countries in europe are developing the international space station (iss).
THE COMPUTER REVOLUTION
the invention of the computer in the twentieth century caused an unprecedented information revolution. very few aspects of modern life remain untouched by computers. the development of computer technology has given rise to the term "information age". a computer is a device for making mathematical calculations and for storing, processing, rapidly manipulating data. the first electronic computers, built in the 1940s, were huge, slow machines. later, thanks to inventions like the silicone chip, the computer was reduced in size. pc became widely available in the 1970s for individual users, both at home and at work. In the 1970s, various branches of the u.s. government along with groups in several American universities led efforts to link computer systems together via cables and satellites. by the 1990s, the "internet" or "world wide web" was
well established, again revolutionizing information technology. by 2000, the internet had grown to a gigantic network, linking individuals, governments, and businesses around the world.
ADVANCES IN MEDICINE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
science and technology have revolutionized are understanding and are control of both human life and other forms of life on this planet. developments in medicine and biotechnology, the application of biological research to industry, engineering and technology, have resulted in new ways to combat and prevent and prevent disease. breakthroughs in surgery also transformed the field of medicine. in the 1970s, surgeons learned to transplant organs, including the human heart to save lives. lasers made many types of surgery safer and more precise. in the past couple of decades, the field of biotechnology has exploded. biotechnology companies make products including vaccinations, medicines, and industrial bacteria that can be used to treat waste or clean up toxic spills. biotechnology is closely related to the fields of genetic and genetic engineering, which have also made dramatic advances in recent years. genetics is the study of genes and heredity, while genetic engineering is the manipulation of genetic material to produce specific results.